Chapter 2749: For the Sake of Leveling Up
With the scholar and the butler helping to mediate, the botanist and the gourmet temporarily separated, but the looks they gave each other were far from friendly, clearly indicating the matter was not over.
Mr. Wen had not returned, and Harry showed no intention of leaving, contentedly eating and drinking around the estate. Xu Huo had little to do each day, generally chatting with Harry, spending the rest of his time strolling through the garden, and keeping an eye on Lady Ti Hui.
By the evening of the second day, Lady Ti Hui finally took a hummingbird back to her room.
She had only brought the bird into her room after her injections proved useless. That night, Xu Huo asked a servant responsible for delivering daily supplies and learned that the hummingbird in the cage by Lady Ti Hui's bedside had turned into a Red-Feathered Hummingbird again. However, unlike the fake left by the photographer, this hummingbird's red feathers had not fully grown in yet and would probably take another day or two.
Xu Huo inspected the bird food and other items swapped out from Lady Ti Hui's room. None of them contained poison. It seemed the toxin she fed to the Red-Feathered Hummingbird was stored separately by her alone, with no one else in the estate having any opportunity to access it.
He was very patient. He noticed that besides feeding the birds, Lady Ti Hui would also take time to collect nectar, with "Early Rising" being one of the varieties.
Guessing that she likely used these nectars to make special feed, Xu Huo also obtained some and fed it to a few hummingbirds. When those hummingbirds flew back to the greenhouse, Lady Ti Hui was forced to bring them back to her room for feeding as well.
After trying this twice, he roughly deduced which nectars Lady Ti Hui used to make her feed. So, in his own room, he also fed several hummingbirds, using both the nectar and the toxin given to him by Dr. Deng.
When the photographer came looking for him, he saw Xu Huo feeding the birds and immediately said, "Did you get the poison from that old hag?"
Xu Huo raised a hand to block his approach and said calmly, "Can you defeat Lady Ti Hui?"
The photographer sat down beside him. "You can't? If the two of us join forces, killing her wouldn't be a problem. This estate isn't open to the public. If someone goes missing, it'll take ages for anyone to trace it back to us."
Xu Huo glanced at him. "Lady Ti Hui is the only one who can raise Red-Feathered Hummingbirds."
"If she dies, the value of the Red-Feathered Hummingbirds might even double." The photographer said with a grin.
"I don't have that intention for now." Xu Huo closed the cage, but as he turned around, the photographer, who had been sitting properly on the sofa, suddenly lunged swiftly, reaching for one of the cages. However, the next second, he was pinned in place by Space Rays.
Calmly circling around to his side, Xu Huo lightly patted his shoulder. "What you said makes sense. Zone 022 won't care about the life or death of an Outer Zone Player. If someone goes missing, no one will find out for ages..."
"I was just joking!" The photographer explained with a cheeky grin. "I wasn't planning anything else, just wanted to see when this bird would grow red feathers."
The Space Ray Blade pressed against his carotid artery advanced a little further. Xu Huo's voice rang out again. "Finding a bird doesn't warrant killing someone. But there won't be a next time."
As the words fell, the photographer felt the pressure around him recede. He turned around and saw Xu Huo had already walked over to the coffee table, apparently intending to pour himself some tea.
At that moment, there was a certain distance between them. The photographer was closer to the birdcage, and Xu Huo had his back to him...
The photographer's nostrils flared, his breathing quickened. His taut face and gleaming eyes revealed his eagerness to try, but after just a second, he gave up and followed Xu Huo to the coffee table.
Xu Huo didn't care about his change in mindset and instead asked, "Did the gourmet and the botanist fight?"
"A small skirmish." The photographer said. "The thing the botanist is looking for definitely isn't the hummingbird. As for the other two, I can't say. They don't seem anxious at all since they came in."
"Have you seen Mr. Wen?" Xu Huo asked again.
"Of course I have." The photographer said. "An old man in poor health. He can barely catch his breath after a few words. When I was taking his picture, I was worried it would end up as a funeral portrait. I didn't expect he could still go out to visit friends. But that makes it easier for others to act."
Speak of the devil. As soon as they finished talking, the estate's main gate opened. An aircraft skimmed the ground. All the servants in the estate put down their work and came to the garden. The butler and Lady Ti Hui also hurried over, one walking up to greet, the other standing under the porch.
Mr. Wen was helped down by a young man. He looked even older than Lady Ti Hui, but his expression was very gentle. He spoke softly to the butler about something.
Soon, the butler came to tell Xu Huo and the others that Mr. Wen would be hosting a banquet in three days and would invite his friends to come. Of course, Xu Huo and the others could also attend; there was no need to leave in a hurry.
As soon as the photographer heard this, his face darkened. "Doesn't Mr. Wen not like hosting banquets? Why is he suddenly holding one now? It won't trigger some side quest, will it?"
He said, glancing at the few birds Xu Huo was keeping, then added, "Let's just focus on Lady Ti Hui. Finish early and leave early."
Xu Huo raised an eyebrow slightly. "Haven't you noticed? Since Mr. Wen returned, this estate has changed."
The photographer followed his gaze and saw that as dusk fell, the edge of the estate had become somewhat indistinct, as if covered by a layer of blurry glass.
"Is the estate an Instance Dungeon site?" He realized.
"Perhaps." Xu Huo wasn't sure either, but after Mr. Wen entered the estate, most of the estate's areas could no longer be easily probed with Space Rays. Every space was covered with a thick shell, used to block investigation.
Even if it were an Instance Dungeon, it wouldn't be a big problem for them. Their own Instance Dungeon wasn't over yet. As long as the estate site wasn't completely sealed off, they could leave at any time. But if it were sealed, they would have to force their way out.
However, there were no records of such "accidents" happening in this estate before, so this possibility was very low.
The only issue was that a side quest might be born here.
Uncontrollability meant danger. The photographer grew a bit impatient. When he couldn't persuade Xu Huo, he left, apparently having other plans.
Xu Huo had already completed eight B-Rank Instance Dungeons. Among them, "Wandering Melissa" was done when his player level was still C. Because of this over-level Instance Dungeon, he successfully leveled up to a B-Rank player. Of the subsequent Instance Dungeons, the "Many Faith Stations" Puppet Instance Dungeon only earned an A. Due to Dou Shengnan's failure to clear "The Stolen Declaration," he actually only had five S and SS rated Instance Dungeons at B-Rank. And because "The Stolen Declaration" was a failed clearance, it significantly dragged down his average.
In terms of Instance Dungeon clearance, players only have two ways to level up. One is by quantity: even if the rating isn't high each time, as long as enough Instance Dungeons are completed and enough time is spent, the level can still rise. The other is by quality. The reason Xu Huo could reach B-Rank in such a short time was mainly because his rating for each Instance Dungeon was very high. So even though he completed fewer Instance Dungeons, he could level up quickly.
Of course, the benefits of high-scoring clearances are also numerous, especially in terms of item quality. Given Xu Huo's current strength, there's no need to waste time at B-Rank. He should level up to A-Rank as soon as possible and participate in Instance Dungeons that match his abilities. Only then can he obtain better rewards and travel to stronger Wormhole Points and districts.
Of course, side quests are also a way to get high scores.